As technology evolves, sensitive information can be stored on items that can be easily copied or stolen. For instance, security badges, licenses, credit cards, and the like provide visually identifying material that typically includes “digital” data. When such items need to be destroyed, a person can determine if the visual material is oblivated so that the sensitive visually material is unusable. Unfortunately, the condition of the digital data cannot be visually reviewed and the only way to assure the digital data is rendered unusable if for the material to be changed into a state that renders it impossible to read. For this reason it is critical that sensitive information be disposed in a manner where the information is absolutely unrecoverable.
One of the named inventors of the instant inventor has been awarded a number of patents for data destroying devices including U.S. Pat. No. 7,324,321 for a Degaussing Apparatus; U.S. Pat. No. 7,852,590 for a Solid State Memory Decommissioner; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,064,183 for a Capacitor based Bi-Directional Degaussing Apparatus. However, it is noted that the media placed on planar flat material can be literally destroyed such as when the material ground to dust. Although there are devices that can comminute materials in compliance with NSA/CSS 04-02 standards, they have many disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,294 and related U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,270,282; 7,334,747; 7,424,981 and 7,448,562 by Castronovo disclose a zero tolerance cutting system for paper, CDs DVDs, Polyester, plastic cards, SMART cards, wood, and other generally planar materials. The cutting system includes a cutting blade, typically a rotary cutter, and a sacrificial plate or round bar contacting the cutting blade. The contacting portion has zero clearance during the cutting operation. A metering mechanism is also provided which is capable of metering the material at a predetermined rate to the cutting blade. A mechanism is also provided for incrementally moving the sacrificial blade towards the cutting to ensure that the zero clearance is maintained between the cutting blade and the sacrificial plate, even when the sacrificial plate begins to wear down due to usage. A rotating primary shredder is followed by a secondary shredder. Air is pumped into the device in order to ensure that the materials flow to the secondary shredder and eventually exit.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,340 and related U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,625 by Castronovo provides cutting action from a rotary scissor action, where one curved blade of the scissors rotates and the other is stationary. In this arrangement the feed angle and position are critical. Rubber rollers feed and position the material being fed to the cutters. Deviation of the feeding angle and position will cause the scissor blades to bind.
What is needed in the industry is a comminuting device capable of automatically grinding planer material to particles wherein digital material is unrecoverable.